The Tribune

By Christine Carey

Eat the rainbow: colour benefits of food

What does colour have to do with your diet? Our affinity for all that is quick, cheap and convenient is directing many to the cracker, cereal and cookie aisles, leading to a nutrient impaired, high-fat and highly processed “beige diet”. We eat primarily based on time or money constraints – we want convenient, low cost and tasty.

Food manufacturers have added sugar, fat and salt to processed foods which make them very tasty, and unhealthy.

Starches, fats, and sweets are the least expensive foods in the diet, so it’s easy to see why we lean toward these “brown/beige” foods.

They fill us up for very little monetary cost, but there are significant health costs to a diet that is so high in refined carbohydrates and artificial ingredients and devoid of the vitamins, minerals, fibre, and other nutrients that are so abundant in plant foods.

Since the average person is eating less than five servings per day of their fruits and veg, when it should be upward of six to 12 servings for most adults, many consumers could be unknowingly missing out on the exact prescription for disease prevention. It turns out that having people count colours instead of calories may be an easier fix for not only weight control but overall wellness.

While research regarding colour’s effect on health is ongoing, the following is a summary of whole foods’ relationship with the rainbow:

• Green – #1 best food to eat. Highest food source of energy, powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals. It purifies the blood and strengthens the immune system and contains enzymes that assist the body in removing potentially carcinogenic compounds.

Try green peppers, zucchini, cucumber, kale, broccoli, collard greens, mixed greens, kiwi, grapes, green apples, sugar apple (good for white and green), spinach and moringa.

• Red – Targets free radicals, supports the heart, increases memory function, helps support the health of prostate and breast tissue, reduces inflammation, prevents bacteria from attaching to cells.

Try red bell peppers, pomegranate, tomatoes and tomato products, chili peppers, cherries, red apples, cranberries, guava and watermelon.

• Orange – Great for the eyes, supports night vision, protects eyes from cataracts, deep orange is rich in beta carotene and vitamin C.

Try oranges, tangerines, juju, cantaloupe, sweet potato, pumpkin, squash, carrots, peaches, mangoes, grapefruits, papaya and apricots.

• Yellow – Improves circulation, boosts immune system, helps with blood sugar regulation.

Try yellow squash, bananas, red bell pepper, pineapple, lemons, avocado and pistachios.

• White – Nature’s pharmacy. Reduces blood pressure and bad LDL cholesterol; it’s antiviral and antibiotic. Try garlic, onions, daikon radish and ginger.

• Blue and purple – Contains powerful antioxidants that prevent early signs of aging, reduces heart disease risks, may help support healthy blood pressure and assists with cancer prevention.

Try eggplant (especially the skin), blackberries, blueberries, dates, figs, raisins, grapes and plums.

Here are my recommendations for eating more colourful produce daily:

1. Consciously try to include many different naturally colourful foods rather than getting stuck on what colours do what. Each colour provides various health benefits and no one colour is superior to another, which is why I believe a balance of all colours is most important.

2. Make fruits and vegetables the centre of the plate when planning meals. Include a fruit and/or vegetable at every eating occasion. Add an extra fruit and/or vegetable side dish to meals. Substitute fruits, vegetables, and beans for other ingredients such as meat in recipes.

3. Challenge yourself to look at your cart when leaving the produce section, and if you have all red items, head back and swap something out for another colour. For example, if you had strawberries, watermelon, and tomatoes, swap the strawberries for some oranges.

4. If you find it difficult to consume sufficient green foods in your diet, try supplementing with items like chlorophyll or spirulina. At Liquid Nutrition we have a high quality peppermint infused chlorophyll that you take one to two times a day in a tall glass of water.

• All health content in this article is provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional.

Christine is a certified holistic health coach (www.christine-carey.com), partner at Liquid Nutrition (www.liquidnutrition.com) and director of Corporate Wellness at 242 Consulting (www.242consulting.com).